Explosion-engine.



W\ ,A. JONES. EXPLOSION ENGINE. APPLIGATION FILED MAY 25, 190B.

Patented Oct. 18, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

w. A. JONES. EXPLOSION ENGINE. APPLIUATION FILE D MAY 25,

Pate ted 001;. 18,1910.

WITNESSES Wzm- NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLI M ANTHONY JONES, or WEST nnw iaarenrou; NEW YORK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM 'Aiv'riioivr Joxns, a citizen 'of the United States, and resident of \Vest New Brighton, in the county of Richmond and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Explosion- Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to explosion engines in which there are a number of cylinders arranged around a central shaft to which their axes are parallel and particularly to engines in which there is one explosion in each cylinder for every two revolutions of the shaft.

The object of the invention is an engine in which there are a number. of cylinders compactly arranged; expensive crank forgings are avoided; one end of the shaft is available to start the engine and the other for taking off the power; the valve mechanism is very'simple and the parts may be readily removed and replaced.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows a part longitudinal section of an explosion engine which illustra-tes myinventlon. Fig. 2 a part section through pipe j. Fig. 3 is a view of a valve and sparking mechanism looking at the side' 4-, is a view looking at the end of the shaft. Fig. 5 illustrates one arm of the cam piece for actuating the valves and sparking mechanism. Fig. 6 is a. view looking at the end of the shaft, and Fig. 7 igjv-i, part sectional view each showing in eni-arged scale and greater detail the cam and gearing shown in Figs. 1 and l.

Similar parts are referred to by similar letters throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings a central shaftais surrounded by a casting of five cylinders b in which pistons c are fitted. Into the end of each cylinder a bushing (Z is fitted which carries an exhaust valvec, which inturn carries an admission valve Referring to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 a pinion 30 cut in the shaft, a, drives a gear 20 which is one piece with the pinion 10. Pinion 10 engages the internal gear (30 which is formedin the hub of the cam K The number of teeth in each of these gears and pinions as shown in dotted outline, Fig. 6, in this instance is such that the cam K revolves in the opposite direction to the shaft, a, and makes one-revolution in the time that the shaft makes four revolutions.

When the exhaust valve e is opened, it al- EXPLOSION-ENGINE;

Specification of letters Patent. Patented Oct. 18,1910.

Application filed May 25, 1908. Serial No. 434,909.

lows the exhaust gas to escape into the space 9, from which it is discharged through the pipe 71-. When the admission valve f is open,

it admits gas and air from the, space i to the cylinder. The space i is supplied with gas and air through the pipe y. In operation the cam, 70, by its motion, acts on the end of the exhaust valve 6, forcing it away from its seat and compressing thespring Z,

whichtends to hold the exhaust valve on to its seat by means of the collar m, and the pin a. A further motion of the-cam, 70, allows the exhaust valve, e, to return to its seat and depresses the lever, U, which in turn opens the'admission valve, f, while the exhaust valve, 6, remains closed. The spring, 7), is compressed when either the admission or exhaust valves are opened. A further motion of the cam allows the admission valve, f, to returnto its seat and first depresses and then releases the lever q of the sparking mechanism. The lever, q,

is pivoted at 1' on a ring 8, and has a pro-' jecting arm, 1,, to the end-of which a rod, a, is connected. The rod, u, passes through the link, 1., which is also pivoted to the ring, 8, at 10;. On the rod 14 is a spiral spring, m, between the arm 13 and the link 1; and two other spiral springs g and .2 beyond 4;. Between these two springs the rod, u, passes through the end of the lever, A, which rotates the sparking piece. B, so that a projection, C, on its end first comes into contact with an insulated electric terminal pin, D, and is then moved away from it forming a spark for exploding the charge in the cylinder. By rotating the ring, 8, the lever, q, is brought into position to-be acted on by the cam, is, earlier or later as it is desired to advance or retard the instant of producing the spark in the cylinder.

The cam shown has two arms each, of

which carries surfaces which perform excentral shaft. Referring to Fig. 3 the valves of the cylinders will be operated in the Order of 1, s, 5, 2: 4: n 3: the shaft a, revolving opposite the hands of a watch and the cam, 7c, revolving with the hands of a watch. 4

, 30 thereby,

'The'pistons, a, fitted to the cylinder, 5,

are connected by the rods, E, to a disk, 'F, which has a bearing on a disk bearing piece G, and is restrained from rotation .by internally projecting trunnions, H, from the ring, 1, whose external trunnions, J, are held in fixed bearings K. The dlskbearing plece is adapted to revolve with the central shaft.

about its axis. The axis of the hearing between the disk, F, and the disk bearing piece, G, is oblique to the axis of the central shaft, a, so that as the central shaft and disk bearing piece revolve the plane of the disk is constantly changing while the pistons reciprocate in their cylinders. The bearing between the disk bearing piece, G, and the disk, F, is shown formed of a single line of large steel balls, L, retained in a suitable groove in each of the pieces. The disk bearing piece, G, is hollowed out at each end to receive balls, l\i[,.wh1ch. are retained 1n position by the sleeve, N, which is put into position after the balls are in place. These balls run on stationary hard steel cones O. The

disk bearing piece, G, is hollow to' receive the shaft, a, to which it transmits motion. The shaft, a, may extend entirely through the disk bearing piece, G, or two shafts may enter, G, from opposite ends and be joined one end being available totake off the power and the other for starting the engine. The disk, F, is formed of two pieces joined on the plane 1-1 for convenience in assembling the balls M and fitting the connecting rods E which engage the disk and the pistons P with ball and socket joints. The cylinder casing may be separated at the plane2-2 so that the pistons,

piston rods, disk and disk bearing piece and 40 trunnion ring may be readily taken out and examined without disconnecting them further. The valve bushings, d, may be readily withdrawn to examine the valves. Surrounding the shaft is a sleeve, P, which is screwed into the casting for the cylinders at 3 and passes through a stufling box Q. Water may circulate in the space between this sleeve and the cylinders and within the outershell R for the purpose of keeping the cylinders cool.

The connecting rods E are held in the sockets of the pistons, c, by the split rings T which screw into the pistons.

In the drawings five cylinders are shown acting on each side .of the disk. Evidently those on one side of the disk could be omitted and a suitablecasting-could be substituted to hold the hard steel cone, 0, in position on that side. Also the number of cylinders at either side of the disk may be greater or less than five.

H departing from the spirit of my invention.

The gearing and arrangement of cams Having described my invention what I claim as, new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-' v

1. A central shaft, a number of cylinders around said shaft and parallel thereto, a cam, concentric with said shaft,-with a plurality of cam surfaces,-valves in said .cylinders, each valve having an actuating pieceprojecting in the path described by each cam surface during the rotation of the cam.

2. A central shaft, a number of cylinders whose axes are parallel to the shaft, valves opening into the cylinders, a cam piece having more than'one surface each of which acts in succession on the valves, and causes them to repeat the same motions.

3. A central shaft, 2. number of cylinders whose axes are parallel to the shaft, valves opening into the cylinders, a cam piece having more than one surface each of which acts in succession on each valve, and causes it to repeat the same motions, the number of cam surfaces. being different from the number of valves on which these surfaces act.

4. A central shaft, 9. number of cylinders whose axes are parallel to the shaft, valves opening into the cylinders, a cam piece having more than one surface for actuating each valve and causingit to repeat the same motions, the cam piece revolving about the same axis as the central shaft.

I 5. A central shaft, a number of cylinders whose axes are parallel to the shaft, a cam piece for actuating valves to the cylinders,

the cam piece revolving about the same axis as the central shaft and in the opposite direction.

6. A central shaft, five cylinders whose axes are parallel to the shaft, a cam piece having two surfaces on opposite sides adaptedto alternately actuate a valve to each cylinder, the cam piece to rotate about the same axis as the shaft in the opposite direction and make one revolution in the time that the shaft makes four revolutions.

'7. A central shaft, a number of cylinders Whose axes are parallel to the shaft, a ring piece carrying mechanism for making a spark in each of the cylinders, a cam piece having more than one cam surface for operating the sparking mechanism for each cylinder, the ring piece being capable of rota- .tion within limits so that'the instant of making the spark can be advanced or retarded with relation to the rotation of the cam piece.

8. A central shaft, :1. number of cylinders whose axes are parallel to the shaft, pistons within the cylinders, valves opening into the eylinders,m'ore than one cam surface each 5 of which causes the valves to repeat the same motions, a disk bearing piece adapted to revolve about the same axis as the shaft and having a bearing whose axis is oblique to that of the shaft, a disk fitted to this bear- 0 9. A central shaft, anuniber of cylinders arranged around the shaft, pistons Within the cylinders, valves to the cylinders, more thanone cam surface each of which causes each of these valves to repeat the same motions, a disk, rods connecting the disk to the pistons, means for preventing the disk from revolving and means for transmitting motion from the disk to the shafti 10. A central shaft, more than one group of cylinders arranged around the shaft at different points along its length, the axes of the cylinders being parallel to that of the shaft, pistons fitted to the cylinders, valves to the cylinders, more than one cam surface each of which causes a valve to repeat the same motions, a disk, rods connecting the disk to pistons Within cylinders, means of preventing the disk from revolving and means of transmitting motion from the disk I v to the shaft.

Signed at Bayonne, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey this 21st day of May A. D. 1908.

WVILLIAM ANTHONY JONES.

. Witnesses:

C. P. HIGGINS,

B. B. WHITTAM. 

